“You know about them, then?” Serena asked as Ellen paused to unlock a new door, this one hidden in the wall.
It seemed like another wallpapered panel, but Ellen flipped open a hidden compartment in the corner. It pulled away to reveal a key hole perfectly matching one of the bronze keys on Ellen’s ring.
Serena’s eyes widened. She wondered how many other secrets the mansion held.
It was almost as enigmatic as Val.
“Of course I know about them,” Ellen sighed, unlocking the secret door. “I’ve known Valentine since he was a little boy. I was his nanny, you know. I know everything that’s happened to him, and I know this time he’s gotten himself into a world of trouble. This is something he can’t talk himself out of.”
Ellen frowned.
“And that terrifies me,” she confessed.
Ellen had begun to lead them down a hallway that led deep into the mansion, and Serena realized it must have been the passageway to the safe room.
The door slammed behind them, leaving them in only the flickering lights of the hall. Serena heard a scream behind her and knew she only had a few moments left before she was locked in the safe room with no way out, no way to see Val.
“Where’s Val?” she demanded. “Ellen, I have to know.”
She tried to jerk her hand away from Ellen’s grip, but Ellen was stronger than she looked, and she barely managed to move an inch. Ellen kept towing her down the hall, her eyes fixed on a large metal door at the end that loomed over them.
“Is he safe, Ellen?”
“That’s not what matters,” Ellen stammered, dragging her to the door. She began to unlock it with shaky fingers, shaking her head furiously. “What matters is getting you safe…. If Valentine
“Because can’t afford to lose you!” she said, jerking Serena’s arm to her in one last attempt to drag her in. Serena pulled away, her heart pulsing in her ears, the sense that she was close to something big unavoidable.
“But why, Ellen?”
“Because you’re just like the last one!” Ellen cried, her hands trembling as she tried to pull Serena into the room.
Serena’s mind was buzzing.
“What do you mean?” she breathed.
Ellen’s eyes widened as she realized what she had said.
“Ignore me,” Ellen said. “Ignore me and get in the room.”
“What do you mean, ‘the last one?’ Ellen, please.”
“I said ignore me!”
Serena jerked her hand away so forcefully that Ellen stopped in her tracks, her eyes growing wide.
“How can I trust you if you don’t tell me anything?” Serena said, her eyes wild. “God, bombs are going off and Val is in danger and then you drop this on me? Ellen, please, you have to tell me what you mean, I don’t understand.”
Ellen groaned in frustration and clutched her hair, the previously perfectly pinned curls now in disarray.
“I’ll tell you if you come with me,” Ellen said, “but only if you come with me. This is your last chance.”
Serena hesitated. Could she trust her? Did she have time? Did any of these even make sense?
She shook away those thoughts, then nodded her head. Of course she could trust Ellen. Ellen was Ellen.
She walked into the room, and Ellen followed, breathing a sigh of relief. Ellen began to close the door, but Serena caught her hand.
“Please,” Serena said. “Leave it open, at least a little. In case Val needs to come in.”
Ellen hesitated, but then she nodded. She left it open a small crack, just enough for a person to slip in at the last moment. It settled Serena, at least for just a moment.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice softer now. “What do you mean by the last one?”
Ellen squeezed the bridge of her nose. “I really shouldn’t have said anything.”
“But you did. And you promised.”
Ellen sighed. “Alright, sit down.”
Serena obeyed, sitting herself down on a sleek black chair that was one of the few pieces of furniture in the great safe room. Ellen crossed her arms, peering out the crack in the door.
“The last one,” Ellen said, her voice softer now. “She was a girl about your age—looked like you too. Very pretty. Five years ago, she worked for Val during his first business, back when he and Jacques first met.”
The criminal business, Serena added silently in her mind. She should have known that any major secrets of Val’s would have been from his criminal past.
“Val had feelings for this girl—what kind of feelings, I’m not sure, but they were there. And this girl, somehow, she got herself into a great deal of trouble. But it wasn’t her that got in trouble, not really. The men after her knew that wouldn’t hurt her and Val as much as they wanted.”
“The men who were after her?”
Ellen frowned. “Harlow and his men.”
“Ah.”
“And so they did something better: they kidnapped her brother.”
Serena froze. “What?”
Ellen didn’t seem to understand the gravity of what she had just said, her eyes still peering out the door. “I said they kidnapped her brother, pay attention. And so Val, being the valiant idiot he is, tried to save the brother.”
“And then what happened?”
Ellen crossed her arms over her chest, glancing down. “Val tried to help the girl, and Harlow didn’t like that. Harlow killed the brother, and then he killed the girl.”
Serena was silent. She wasn’t sure she understood completely what she had just been told, but she knew it was important, and she knew she had to ask Val about it.
Wait, Val. Val.
She had to find him, he could be in danger. Where was he? Why hadn’t he made it to the safe room yet?
Suddenly, the sound of a massive explosion hit, this one shaking the mansion by its very foundation.
Serena’s eyes widened and her legs began trembling, the explosion shaking her to her core as much as it did the mansion. Val. God, how could she have forgotten? Val was still out there, and now he meant even more to her than he ever had.
She needed to save him so she could get answers, answers about this whole crazy situation and about the other woman. But more than that, she realized, she needed to rescue him because she couldn’t survive without him. Val consumed her. The idea of Val being hurt shook her harder than the explosions.
“Val,” Serena cried, leaping up from her seat.
Before Ellen could grab her, Serena darted out of the room through the still open door, heading towards the ballroom as fast as her feet would take her. She flew past the rushing crowds, keeping her mind open and her eyes forward, looking for any sign of Val. She had to find him. She had to make sure he was okay.
She heard the sound of Ellen’s feet behind her and her voice calling after her, but after a few moments, they slowed. Ellen seemed to realize that there was no way to stop her.
“Serena, please!”
“Where is she?” she shouted over her shoulder.
“He’s in the garden,” Ellen called, her voice resigned as if she knew there really was no stopping Serena’s run.
Serena wanted to thank her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything more than run as fast as she could towards Val to make sure that he was still alive. She pushed her legs faster and faster, running to the garden as swiftly as possible.
She pushed through the crowds, finally reaching the entrance to the garden. There was Val, standing on the grand terrace, surrounded by flames. Men in fire-safe suits stood around him, working furiously to put out the flames with their fire hoses and anything else they could grab. People had started crowding around the edges of the garden as the fire was being put out now that the danger was past.
Only half of Val’s face was visible, but when Serena saw it, her breath stopped. His expression was grim and dangerous, but what she saw when she followed his gaze was even worse.
The flames had started to go down,
revealing the fact that the explosions had not been random at all. Rather, they had been placed carefully around the lawn so that the mansion would remain unharmed but the garden would be burned to a crisp. Then, trails of what smelled like gasoline had been poured with care into a design.
As the smoke cleared away and Serena approached, the design became more apparent. It wasn’t a design, it was a message. She felt her body go cold.
Burned into the lawn of the garden were three words:
7 DAYS. --- HARLOW
*****
Val caught sight of her, his grim expression turning to one of concerned worry.
“Serena,” he bellowed, throwing his hand back to shield her against the heat of the roaring flames. Her wide eyes stayed fixed on the words burning into his lawn, the previously lush greenery browning and curling into a dead warning.
“Val, I had to,” she cried. “I didn’t know if you were lost or hurt or—” She was about to say dead, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The idea was too painful. “I had to know!”
“I ordered you to go with Ellen,” he said, his voice furious. “And you disobeyed me, despite my direct commands.”
“But Val—”
“Serena,” Val growled. “I told you to stay away.”
“I can’t! Not with you in danger like—”
“Serena, you are not to disobey me.”
He grabbed her arm then, shoving her back.
Serena’s eyes widened at first, shocked that he would be so violent towards her with no warning. She grabbed her wrist, rubbing the red spot that had been left by his strong grip.
But then her head turned and she saw it: he had shoved her away from the flames that were slowly creeping towards her through the wooden gate that surrounded one of the pathways.
Her breath caught.
“I’m sorry, Val,” she murmured.
“Sorry isn’t going to save your life if you walk straight into something like this,” Val roared. “I told you to stay away!”
He threw his arms up, his wide eyes looking out into the flames. He pointed at them, barely suppressed even by the army of firemen that were gathering.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here?” he said, whirling on her. “What if those had been real, deadly bombs instead of just a threat? What if they had decided you were a good target? For fuck’s sake, Serena, do you realize how much danger you’re in when you act like this?”
“Please, Val,” she said in a small voice.
“Ellen!” he called. “Take Serena to my room. Do not let her out until I arrive.”
Val turned to the guards who were rapidly collecting with firemen and other emergency services, ordering them from place to place. Serena wanted to reach forward and touch him, to ask if he really was furious with her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She wrapped her arms around her chest, suddenly cold despite the heat of the flames. It was a coldness deep within her chest, something that chilled her to the bone no matter how hot it was outside.
“Come, Ms. Nicoletti,” Ellen said softly, touching her shoulder. “I think it’s best you come with me, dear.”
“But is he—”
“He’s safe,” she said, pulling her away. “Now come. He’ll be with you in a few moments, and you’ll be able to speak then.”
Ellen took her to Val’s room. She pulled her out of her singed clothes, finding her the black silk robe that Val had worn earlier. Serena slipped it on numbly, unable to enjoy the delicious feel of the silk against her skin. Val’s face haunted her. His grim expression remained in her mind even now that she was safe in his bedroom, away from the flames.
An hour later, the doors opened quietly. Val walked in, his tuxedo still smelling of smoke. Serena watched him silently as he poured himself a drink, swallowed it in one gulp, shivered, and then poured another. She tightened the fleece robe around herself, the cold still chilling her even with the constantly smoldering presence of Val right in front of her.
After a few moments, Val turned to her, his expression soft.
“Serena.”
“Val, I’m so sorry,” she babbled, her emotions pouring out of her like the scotch that Val was constantly pouring into his glass. “Please, I was so worried about you. I know it’s stupid, I know that I shouldn’t have done it. But when I knew you were still out there near the explosions—”
“Hush,” he said. It was an order, but a soft one. She closed her mouth, glad that he had interrupted her stream of nonsense before she said something truly dangerous.
Val walked to her and knelt down on one knee. He held her chin in his hand, tilting her head so that he could inspect it. He took one of her trembling hands in his, turning it over to examine that one too.
“Are you hurt?” he asked softly.
“No,” she answered.
He continued his examination. He made sure that every inch of her skin was still unblemished and not a single hair was singed, and when he was finally sure that he was alright, he put her hands down in her lap.
“You shouldn’t have come outside,” he said, standing up. She could feel it now. The lecture was coming. She straightened herself up, bracing for it.
“I had to,” she said in a small voice.
“And you still shouldn’t have,” he said, his voice louder and sharper. He loosened his tie, watching himself in the mirror so that his glare wouldn’t go to her. She saw his jaw clench.
“But I had to,” she answered, her voice’s pitch rising and becoming more urgent. “I didn’t know if you were dead or alive. I didn’t know if Harlow—”
“What do you know about Harlow?” Val growled.
“I know he’s trying to kill you, and that’s enough. I know he’s dangerous. I know that I’ll never forgive myself if I let him hurt you.”
Val sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Serena, there is no way that Harlow is going to hurt me, alright? And even less of a way that you’d be able to stop him even if he tried. You need to quit trying to be a hero! What you need to do is stop putting yourself in danger like this.”
“I just thought….” she said, trailing off as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Val caught sight of it and winced, suddenly pained, his lips opening to say something but stopping.
Serena ducked her head and Val sighed.
“You don’t even know what they want from me.”
“They want you to give up your business,” Serena said.
Val shot her a look, something in his expression changing. It was suspicion, like Jacques had had, but something more. And not dangerous, like Jacques. It was worried.
“How do you know that?”
Serena shrugged, drawing the blankets tighter around her shoulders. “It was a guess. It made sense. Why else would they be after you? What else would they extort you for?”
“I suppose,” he said, shaking his head. “But listen, Serena. This isn’t a game anymore. Harlow has made that abundantly clear.” He paused, looking at her once more before turning and around and going to the window. “I need you to leave.”
Serena’s stomach dropped.
“No,” she whispered.
“This is not a request. You’re leaving in the morning. Every second you stay here is another second you’re in danger, and I can’t have that. I will not have you dying because of me.”
“I can’t!”
“Serena,” he said, rubbing his temples. “Why on earth do you want to stay here? Why would you stay, knowing what you know about how dangerous this is? How dangerous I am?”
“You’re not dangerous,” Serena whispered, not quite sure if even she believed the words coming out of her mouth.
Val groaned, turning away from her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She wanted to protest that she did, that she knew exactly what. That she knew about his criminal past, that she knew who Harlow was and what he was planning to do. That she also knew he had chan
ged, and that she didn’t care what he used to be because she loved who he was now.
But she shut her mouth. She remembered what Jacques had said: if she breathed a word about his past, she would be gone faster than the blink of an eye.
She didn’t think she could handle that. Not now.
Instead, she said the next thing that popped into her head:
“Ellen told me about the girl.”
Val furrowed his brow, confused.
“What?” he said, his tone irritated.
He took a seat in a nearby armchair, rubbing his temples. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Ellen told me about the girl with the kidnapped brother. The one from five years ago.” She paused, unsure if she wanted to go this far. But she had to. “The one you loved.”
Val froze.
“What?”
Serena crossed her arms over herself, shaking under his heavy gaze. “Ellen told me about her. And I’m starting to think that there’s more to what’s going on here than you want to let on. I don’t think you’re dangerous, Val, but I think you’re complicated. And I want answers. I’m not leaving until I get them.”
“Serena,” he growled. “Unless you’ve forgotten, you are my slave, not my therapist. I’ve given you an order and I expect you to follow it.”
She felt her heartbeat speed up, almost unable to believe her boldness. But she couldn’t obey him. Not now.
She tipped her chin up and gave him an even gaze.
“I’m not leaving until you give me answers.”
Val sighed. He leaned his head back, squeezing his eyes shut.
“You never make this easy for me, Serena.”
She shrugged. “You could make it easy on yourself by just telling me already.”
Val stared at her for a few moments, then threw his hands up and his head back, in a sigh of exasperation and giving up. “Fine. Fine, Serena. For fuck’s sake, you’re the most demanding slave I’ve ever had. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is the master here.”
Temptation: a billionaire erotic romance Page 10
